Vyacheslav Ivanovich Zof

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Zof (Вячеслав Иванович Зоф in Russian) (December of 1889, Dubno - June 20, 1937) was a Soviet military figure and a statesman of Czech nationality.

Zof joined the revolutionary movement in 1910. Three years later he became a member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP). During the World War I, Zof worked as a fitter at an arms factory in Sestroretsk, where he was in charge of the Bolshevist underground. After the February Revolution, Zof led the Bolshevist organization of Sestroretsk and was a deputy of the Petrograd Soviet. In July of 1917, he prepared fake identity papers for Vladimir Lenin and organized his move from Petrograd to Razliv at the request of the RSDLP Central Committee. Zof would then establish contact between Lenin and the Central Committee. In 1918-1919, he was appointed brigade and division commissar and supplies manager for the 3rd Army of the Eastern Front. In 1919-1920, Zof was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Baltic Fleet and a member of the Petrograd defense committee. In 1921-1924, he held a post of a commissar at the office of the commander-in-chief of the naval forces of the Republic. Between December of 1924 and 1926, Zof was the commander of the naval forces and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In 1927-1929, he headed the Sovtorgflot (Совторгфлот, Советский Торговый Флот, Soviet Commercial Fleet) office. In 1930-1931, Zof was a deputy People's Commissar of Railroad Transportation. In 1931, he was appointed first deputy People's Commissar of Water Transportation. Zof was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Later in his life, Zof fell into disgrace and was appointed director of a factory in Moscow. In 1937, he was arrested, sentenced to death on June 19 and executed the next day.

Zof was rehabilitated in 1956.

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